Titans claim former Texans LB Zach Cunningham off waivers

The Tennessee Titans are 8-4 and atop the AFC South standings, and they're now hoping they acquired some defensive help ahead of this Sunday's game against the 2-10 Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Per ESPN, Tennessee claimed veteran linebacker Zach Cunningham off waivers after he was surprisingly waived by the Houston Texans on Wednesday. The Texans previously made Cunningham a healthy scratch for their 31-0 blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday after he was reportedly late for a COVID-19 test. 

In the summer of 2020, Cunningham put pen to paper on a four-year extension worth up to $58 million with the Texans, and he led the NFL last season with 106 solo tackles and 164 total tackles, according to Pro-Football-Reference. As Sarah Barshop noted for ESPN, Houston benched Cunningham for a quarter against the Cleveland Browns back on Sept. 19 for recurring tardiness. 

"We've got standards," Houston head coach David Culley said about the decision to move on from Cunningham. "Didn't feel like those standards had been met consistently. And I feel like I made a decision that was the best for our team. This is about the team, it's not about any individual." 

Thus far this season, Cunningham has 67 total tackles and a forced fumble.